Despite this weekend boasting Christmas day opportunities for US filmgoers to hit the multiplexes, there was little cheer to go around the box office once the big man in the red suit had been down the chimney and the estimates calculated. But there was good news for another man obsessed with climbing down high objects, as Tom Cruise and his Mission: Impossible team at least claimed the top of the charts, with Ghost Protocol riding the success of last week’s IMAX sneak peeks to snatch $26.5 million over the weekend for a $58.9 running total so far.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows held on well, seeing off the other new competition and falling to second place with $17.8 million, while Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked also stayed strong with $13.3 million in third.

As mentioned, Cruise’s new release competition didn’t fare quite as well. David Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo managed fourth with $13 million but Tintin saw US audiences much more reluctant to embrace it than those over here, earning $9.1 million for a fifth place launch. Still, the movie’s overseas success should help it keep the cash registers ringing.

Sadly for Cameron Crowe, his big return to filmmaking with We Bought A Zoo appears extinct on arrival. Despite boasting the likes of Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and a pack of heart-warming animals, the emotional comedy drama could only manage sixth place, taking $7.8 million.

New Year’s Eve was seventh with $3 million, Arthur Christmas fell to eighth with $2.7 million, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn was down to ninth with $2.1 million and, rounding out the top 10, Hugo made $2 million this weekend.